A beautiful summer day in Maine requires a trip to the coast.
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And one of our favorites places is Boothbay Harbor.
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It retains its quaint old fishing village vibe despite being over run with tourists during the season.
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Parking is a nightmare.
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But the scenery divine.
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A walk across the footbridge is a must.
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As it has its very own house.
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Talk about waterfront property.
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It’s been many different things over the years.
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Right now I think someone’s summer home.
Not much in the way of privacy, but to each their own.
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Since we had friends coming up from Connecticut that week we decided to give a restaurant near the bridge a test run.
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Everyone wants to eat on the water when they visit so we sampled the Harborside 1901 Bar and Grille.
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I’d heard great things…
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And the craft cocktails didn’t disappoint.
The Man-Go Mojito – rum, lime, mango puree, mint, sugar, soda was fabulous. Light, minty, and bursting with fresh, ripe mango.
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The teriyaki dumplings app? Overcooked, dry and pretty tasteless. Husband’s lobster bisque? Puréed, with no discernible meaty bits.
Boo to that.
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As for Harborside… technically it was. But your immediate view is a parking lot which stretches the “waterfront” marketing.
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Cocktail #2?
The Strawberry Elderflower – vodka, St. Germain, lemon, strawberry, prosecco
Floral and fruity, perfect for summer.
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Since we weren’t overly impressed with the appetizers, we opted for salads. Which to be honest were nothing special.
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They looked better than they tasted with the husbands apple and pistachio having little to no dressing and my Caesar positively drowning in it. The grilled chicken on both was over cooked and tough.
Nice drinks aside, we’re crossing this place off our list.
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But not before I helped myself to a Grateful Dead coaster for the man cave/Barn Mahal collection.
Our last Boothbay Harbor stop was the Boathouse Bistro as seen on the left.
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It’s a rustic three story restaurant with three floors that are usually packed with summer tourists as it has the best food in town.
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We always land here, on the glassed in second floor.
But along with the first, it was closed… and empty. The same disturbing trend we’d seen all day.
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Three places that are always bursting with tourists… weren’t. Tariffs and bad blood with Canada may not be affecting you… but they’re certainly hurting this area.
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Granted…. the top floor had a crowd, but the bar was empty and the bottom two levels were deserted.
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A shocking loss of prime season business.
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Saving the best for last, along with my pomegranate margarita I had blackened jumbo shrimp with fried balls of chorizo grits and smoky tomato sauce while the husband went with pan-seared scallops and crispy cornbread with an apple gastrique (apple cider, sugar, apple cider vinegar, calvados,thyme, chicken stock).
While we usually avoid the Boothbay Harbor region like the plague in the summer due to the high concentration of tourists and traffic, we threw caution to the wind and drove up for an afternoon of bar/restaurant hopping last week since the weather was beyond perfect for a blueberry mojito on the ocean.
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Our first stop was Mine Oyster, which has the best outdoor seating on the harbor. We always elect to sit on the second floor deck but discovered it closed. And empty.
In the summer.
In Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
We were stunned. And as we made our way out back to the first floor deck…
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We were equally as stunned to find only a few people enjoying the view.
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This is a prime spot. A tourist Mecca. A restaurant that offers lobster 20 different ways.
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And it was virtually empty.
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Good for us as we had our pick of seats, but not good for the local economy. We’ve been hearing the tariffs and American relations with Canada had been taking a toll on visitation from our northern neighbors, but this was proof.
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They just weren’t here.
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Lobster stuffed mushrooms for the husband.
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But troubling lack of tourists aside, it’s hard to beat the scenery.
Boothbay Harbor is a lovely little town to explore.
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And nestled down near the water we found a new purveyor of beer.
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Footbridge brewing is small and quirky.
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And they don’t take themselves too seriously..
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It’s a laid back, rustic space.
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And as with any new brewery we visit, we sampled a flight.
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But as much as we wanted to, we can’t really recommend their product. Flat and tasteless, their beer needs a lot of tweaking.
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Giant googly eyes aside.
Just as we were about to leave, a fellow Marine joined us at the bar and a 45 minute conversation ensued. Thankfully for me there was a small cocktail list.
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And a poison apple kept me occupied.
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I’d never had Reaper’s Revenge before but oh my. It’s a spicy cinnamon liqueur that made my tongue tingle happily while my husband endlessly chatted.
After our brewery visit we drove out to East Boothbay….
Mine Oyster is an oceanfront restaurant in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
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It’s large, two storied with multiple dining rooms, a raw bar and a dance floor. …
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There are three outdoor seating areas. If you’ve been here before, you know to walk upstairs, take a right, and find the door behind the bar.
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It’s rustic, but has the best views in the harbor.
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Ahhh…
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Summer, on the coast of Maine.
It doesn’t get much better than this.
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We hadn’t been to the Oyster for a while so we were thrilled to see the new, improved and much enlarged menu(s).
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Blueberry mojito?
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Don’t mind if I do.
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Mine Oyster’s food used to be alright, but nothing rave worthy. Thankfully that’s changed.
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Our appetizers of herb butter basted grilled scallops on saffron creamed corn with crispy prosciutto as well as the jerk shrimp with hot honey were… in a word… amazing.
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Tequila sunrise? Why not.
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Along with the stunning views…
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Came my husband’s lobster with saffron cream and fresh basil over fettuccini. Ooh la la! Rich, decadent and divine.
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For me? A right regular fry up done to perfection. Clams and jumbo shrimp with batter as light and crisp as the ocean air.
The whole time we were exploring this area we met two other people on the trail.
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Talk about a hidden gem.
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Shame the wild raspberries weren’t quite ready.
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Now that’s my kind of conference room.
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It always surprises me how many beautiful little places there are like this along our coast. I’ve lived in Maine since I was 15 and never knew this existed.
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Another trail lead to a sweet little private beach.
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Hey, it’s Maine. If there’s 3 feet of sand? We call it a beach.
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Ending the hike, we took the final trail back to the parking lot.
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Where there was a wonderful old cemetery. I love exploring those and had just found a headstone from 1837 when I noticed the webs.
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Webs full of squirming worms that could have been the dreaded brown tail moth. No way I was rubbing up against those bad boys again.
Back in the car, there was only one thing left to do to make the day complete. A meal at our favorite Boothbay Harbor restaurant, the Boathouse Bistro.
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It’s not on the water, and the decor might leave a little to be desired but it has the best food around hands down. Spicy Cajun grilled shrimp and veggies on cheesy grits for me.
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And a perfectly cooked filet mignon with herbed truffle butter for the husband.
Life is good.
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